Sunday, October 21, 2012

A Good Pile of Gravel



To some eyes, it's just a pile of gravel.  To mine, it's a thing of beauty.

Dennis Warren, whom I once dubbed as a guardian angel in one of my columns, delivered this year's pile of gravel Friday morning. 

I first met Dennis one day while driving along Selle Road and coming upon a car in the ditch.  Dennis had already stopped to help the young lady, and by the time I arrived, she was standing on the road and planning just how to get the car back on the road.

Dennis owns Red Owl Construction, located up the Gold Creek Road in Albertsonville.  

He has a dump truck and a grader, and he specializes in small jobs, many of which are maintenance-oriented.

He says business has been pretty good for him during the lean years for a number of reasons.  I'm guessing that one reason is that he's reliable, very fair and knowledgeable with his customers.

I see Dennis about once a year because---just as I restock whenever the last chunk of Tillamook cheese is getting pretty skinny---I never want to be without a gravel pile. 

"Three quarter minus" we call it.  We use it in various places on the Lovestead throughout the year.  

Almost annually, the area around the gate to the barnyard gets a new layer of three quarter minus.  

What's hard pack in the barnyard right now will turn into soup come spring.  That annual dump of gravel saves my feet from sinking deep into the ground while taking hay out to the horses for the day.

We also watch areas when it rains to see where low spots on the walk to the barn and along the lane happen to be.  

There's enough wet around here during a year that it's nice to maintain some areas which will remain above the puddles for walking.   A layer of three quarter minus does the trick.

We used a large quantity of last year's gravel pile in the barn stalls this summer.  After rotting boards were removed, we opted to fill in the space with gravel and then covered it with thick rubber stall mats. 

We're thinking we'll never have to worry about horses falling through a stall floor ever again.  

None ever did, but Lefty spent a couple of years bouncing up and down on the plywood band aides I would nail down over the rotted-out holes in his winter quarters. 

I also put a new layer of gravel on the barn aisle way about every other year. 

This year we'll probably build up some spots around the house where we park the cars.  Surfaces with no gravel generally turn into slimy mud during wet weather.  Not fun for walking to and from the vehicles. 

We'll more than likely dump a few more loads on the driveway too.  

Yes, that annual pile of gravel is a thing of beauty on just about anyone's farm around here.  Hardly esthetic but definitely practical.

Speaking of esthetic, I did finish brush hogging the pasture areas yesterday, and the view out the windows this morning without different heights of dead grass and black, dead tansey looks so much more pleasing. 

Now, it's time to clean out and maybe rototil the garden, and by the time that's finished, the first round of leaf pickup begins.  

If I stay on schedule with all the tidying up chores, the place should look pretty nice by the time the snow flies.  And, I can get a running start on the spring beautification projects. 

Plus, it just makes me feel good to be able to enjoy a clean and tidy farm. 

Happy Sunday. 

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